Supreme Court Appoints Former CAG Vinod Rai As New BCCI Head

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Monday appointed former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai to head the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with noted historian Ramachandra Guha, managing director of IDFC Limited Vikram Limaye and former captain of the women's cricket team Diana Edulji as other administrators.

Meanwhile, the top court also declined Centre's request to appoint secretary of sports ministry as member of the committee.

The Supreme Court was expected to name the administrators last Tuesday, but Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi requested the apex court not to nominate administrators for the BCCI for another two weeks.

Earlier, the Amicus Curiaes-Gopal Subramanian and Anil Diwan-had submitted nine names to the apex court for the appointment of administrators in the cricketing body.

The top court, in its order, had asked the BCCI to implement the Justice Lodha panel recommendations into the game. It had recommended a slew of majors in the gentleman's game.

The Supreme Court had on 2 January removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke from their respective posts of BCCI president and board secretary for their failure to bring transparency and accountability to the Indian cricket board and their non-compliance of the court's 18 July, 2016 order.

Earlier in a landmark judgment on 18 July, 2016, the apex court accepted major recommendations of Justice Lodha-led panel on structural reforms in the BCCI and had given six months deadline to the board implement the recommendations.

Following allegations of corruption, match fixing and betting scandals in cricket in the country, the Supreme Court appointed a three-panel member led by Justice R.M Lodha in January 2015 to look into the functioning of the BCCI and suggest reforms.